The high school reunion was a triennal event, happening once every three years. I had only attended one to flaunt my then new husband James. I never attended any of the last two because James complained that it was a waste of his time while he went about frolicking with other women.
The reunion was a matter of egoistic superiority. A battle on who had the best husbands or wives, or the best careers, cars, children, houses and many more. I supposed that Mona assumed she was doing me a favour by sending me into a coma. What would I want to do with our highschool crowd when I had a fleeting husband, no money, and no career? I would only be inviting mockery to myself, especially since I used to drag the top position with Mona. But I was way past caring about my ego. I would attend the reunion with my head held high.
"Madam Simmons, please reconsider. You only just woke up from a serious medical condition," the doctor begged me.
"I will return tomorrow for the necessary checkups and get readmitted if necessary. If I die before then, consider yourself absolved of all guilt."
"How am I supposed to explain this to your husband?" The doctor whined. To him, James was a cruel power broker who could buy him out of his job. I smirked.
"Don't worry Doctor, I will tell him myself," I said solemnly.
At the reunion.
A nurse ran after me with my belongings. When I offered, he was very eager to swap my phone with his since mine was the latest model. He was eager to swap calling sims as well, a small price to pay for a phone well above his pay grade. Now James would be tracking him, not me. By the time he discovered the deception, it would already be too late.
I flagged down a cab and requested to be driven to an expensive makeover studio. Then I dialled my secret contact's number and hoped he would pick.
"Eric, it's me. I borrowed a sim to call," I said hastily.
"Oh Ronica, thank goodness. You have no idea. I've been answering all my personal calls hoping one of them might just be you."
"I'm sorry." I truly was. Eric's field of business was one that cost him a long line of unsolicited private calls and messages which he usually ignored.
"What the hell happened Ronny? I saw the note you left me at the hotel. I called Songbird Press and they said they never asked you in for any interview of sort."
Relieved to have him on my side, I told Eric everything that had transpired so far. Including how James compelled me to remain his wife and how Mona induced my allergy so I would fall into a coma so she could bring James as her plus one to the reunion. Eric wasn't too pleased to hear that I had only woken up from my coma less than an hour ago. I told him the same thing I told the doctor.
"As soon as that reunion is done, I am taking you to MY doctor."
"Fine," I agreed. Sometimes, there was no way to argue with Eric Strauss who owned an empire even greater than the Simmons'.
"Is this reunion compulsory?"
"No. But James and Mona would be there trying to spread lies about me. I have to stop them."
"I just wired you some money."
"Eric you didn't have to…"
"Yes, I do. It's my fault you are married to James. I had a chance to warn you about his dark side yet I was selfish."
"Eric we've been over this. I am never blaming you for my marriage to James."
"That's because you are a good person Ronny but let's call a spade a spade. Now about this reunion, I hope you don't have a plus one yet."
***
I chose a lowcut white silk gown that stopped just below my knees with a three inch slit. The gown accentuated my curves and long legs framed by blue stilettos to match my sapphire jewelry. My dark hair which I always tied in a bun now flowed down to my waist. I had spared no expense. Eric Strauss had sponsored my reunion outfit. He was supposed to be my plus one to the reunion but something urgent came up in his work and he had to leave.
"I'll make it up to you," he had promised, leaving me with a chaste kiss on the cheek that still managed to set a race to my heart. Even now, the place where his lips made contact burned with an unfamiliar but pleasant heat. 'He's just being a good friend,' I reminded myself. I would not be taking advantage of his kindness.
I displayed my invitation for the reunion and was allowed through the large golden doors. I skillfully slipped away to avoid immediate notice of my arrival.
I spotted Mona and James, holding champagne flutes and chatting with some of our highschool classmates. Mona was wearing an expensive but gaudy blue gown with sapphire necklace and earrings. She was throwing her head this way and that in order to flaunt it.
"Jimmy bought them for me for my birthday," she was bragging.
"James, that's very generous of you," they dutifully complimented.
"Sure, they only cost me seven million dollars," James bragged. The cheating disgusting liar.
"Wow James, good for you."
"You really made it big for yourself James."
"You deserve to inherit the family business."
I rolled my eyes for the people kissing his arse.
"If you can buy this expensive jewelry set for Mona, you must have bought something even more costly for your wife."
They just had to bring me into the conversation, did they not?
Mona's face whitened upon mention of me. "Let's not talk about Ronica please, she's a touchy subject." Mona's voice dipped conspiratorially, meaning she was about to spread untrue gossip. "She's the reason James hasn't inherited the family business. Can you believe she's been going behind James' back to tell his father not to give it to him?"
"Seriously? Why would she do that?"
"And to her own husband."
"She's really turned into quite the bitch since she graduated, hasn't she?"
The murmurs were quick to rise against me now that everybody assumed I wasn't around to defend myself.
"And the last two reunions Mona, you had to come with James because she refused to come."
"She really thinks she's better than us, doesn't she? And she doesn't even have a career."
"We sent her a personal invitation for her to attend this reunion but she still didn't come."
"Honestly James, Mona is a better partner for you than Ronica would ever be. You should divorce her."
"That's what I keep telling him," I declared for the first time since infiltrating the conversation. I smirked as all eyes turned to me. A few wine glasses crashed to the floor. Shock and tension filled the room you would think they were caught doing a public sex ritual. Mona and James looked the worse as if they were staring at a ghost. Shadedly, my wedding ring free finger reached up to caress my original sapphire jewelry.
"I think James should divorce me since I'm so big and bad," I taunted. ""But Mona, you offend my eyes with those deep fakes you are wearing. I can't believe my dear husband spent seven million dollars buying you an imitation while I had to get the original with my own money."